Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2016, Síða 13

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The years have been kind to Den-
mark in the eyes of the Icelanders
living there, but some Danish stereo-
types still persist—and not without
justification. In many ways, it is still
characterised by that stereotypical
pigheadedness Danes are so famous
for.
The trade-off
Across the street from Tivoli Gardens
is Rådhudspladsen, Copenhagen City
Hall. Every year during Kulturnatten
(the Danish equivalent of Menningar-
nótt, Reykjavík’s culture night), the
building is opened up to the public,
who are invited to explore its connec-
tion with Denmark’s proud (almost a
little too proud) colonial history. On
the wall of the city council’s meeting
room, and despite the fact that Iceland
became completely independent from
Denmark in the mid-1940s, there still
stands today the four shields of The
Kingdom—Grønland, Færøerne, Dan-
mark, and Island.
Up until a few years ago, many
Danes would not even have known
that Icelanders had their own lan-
guage, let alone that Iceland has been
a completely independent country for
nearly a century. Danes, upon arriv-
ing in Iceland, will still often open
interactions på Dansk. Characterised
by communal beer, hygge and beer
pong, a Danish party is also markedly
more twee than the individualistic,
shitfaced all-night soirees you find in
Reykjavík. Danes, of course, really love
being Danish.
Becoming more connected with
the rest of the world may have re-
sulted in many modern Icelanders
outgrowing the old ways of national-
ism; but as the multitude of red and
white Dannebroger in every arrivals
terminal and on every rooftop show,
not everyone has moved on from past
myths quite so quickly. Likewise, Ice-
land’s success at the Euros reminds us
that it does not take much for people to
swiftly relapse into blind, flag-waving
patriotism. Some Icelanders still feel
too ashamed to wear their lopapeysur
in public in Copenhagen, while others
swiftly return home after a couple of
years to complain (lightheartedly)
about the boring Danish landscape and
the rudeness of the Danes—Iceland is
best í heimi, after all.
On the whole, though, things are
different today. Copenhagen not only
has its own Icelandic bar, but it also has
its own franchises of Tommi’s Burger
Joint—another Icelandic chain—as
well as a wide variety of Icelandic art-
ists, musicians, and businesspeople.
Icelanders move there to raise their
children, gain access to better social
security, marry Danes, and, well, live
their lives in a place where things are
just that bit more easy. Likewise, Den
Danske Kro and Joe and the Juice en-
sure—some might say sadly—that the
Danish legacy at home has not quite
faded just yet.
With many thanks to Kristín Loftsdóttir
Ph.D (Professor of Anthropology) and
Ólafur Rastrick Ph.D (Assistant Profes-
sor in Folklore and Ethnology) of Háskóli
Íslands for their invaluable research and
help with this piece.